Italy won't buy more than 90 F-35 jets says defense minister

Gov't looking to slash defense budget to save money

(ANSA) - Rome, March 18 - Italy will not purchase any more
F-35 fighter jets above those it has already committed to buy,
Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti told the Senate and Lower House
defense committees on Tuesday.

"The commitment not to acquire ulterior F35s has been
kept", Pinotti told parliamentarians.

Premier Matteo Renzi on Sunday stated that Italy is
reviewing its defense spending in order to free up cash for
higher priority social items.

This could include three billion euros in potential savings
if the government decides to trim its Lockheed Martin F-35
fighter jets' budget of about 11.8 billion euros over 45 years
beginning in 2015.

The F-35 fighter jet program has been cut before.

Italy in 2012 announced plans to cut its order to 90 from
the 131 originally agreed in 2002, saving the country some five
billion euros.

But last July, the Italian government rejected another call
to cancel the purchase altogether of the 90 F-35 fighter jets
which, at an estimated $200 million per unit, are among the
costliest fighter jets in the world.

Pinotti has also said that as many as 385 military barracks
could be sold to cut costs.
Also on Tuesday, Transportation Minister Maurizio Lupi
declined to comment on a possible sale of Italy's 30-year-old
Garibaldi aircraft carrier.

"It hasn't been mentioned and we've never discussed it. I
have nothing to say", the minister told RTL 102.5 radio station.